Where old crime does new time: A Research Site Dedicated to Forgotten Crimes & Forgotten Criminals

Welcome to HistoricalCrimeDetective.com [Est. 2013], where you will discover forgotten crimes and criminals lost to history. This blog is the official website for true crime writer Jason Lucky Morrow, author of four books including the popular series: Famous Crimes the World Forgot, Volume I and Volume II. Please follow us on Facebook, for updates. Contact me here for questions or comments.

The 1963 Murder of Olympic Skier Sonja McCaskie by Thomas Lee Bean

Posted below is a short but interesting documentary about the murder of Sonja McCaskie in 1963. She skied for the British team during the 1960 Olympics. Her killer, 18 year-old Thomas Lee Bean, was tried and sentenced to die in the Nevada gas chamber in 1963. In 1972, the United State Supreme Court overruled all pending death sentences and Bean’s death sentence was commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Bean is still serving his sentence at a medium security prison in Carson City, Nevada. The 68 year-old inmate has been in prison for 50 years. The McCaskie murder has been characterized as the worst murder in Reno’s history.

“While Bean dismembered McCaskie, he played records on her stereo.”

Thomas Lee Bean as he appears in his most recent mug shot for the Nevada Department of Corrections